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Did McKinney’s Hollie Cavanagh continue her American Idol upward spiral?

Now that we’re down to five, the competition is tough. They’re all excellent in their own ways. But Hollie is proving that she’s not content to settle for the number-five position.

Opening the ’60s-themed segment of the show with “River Deep – Mountain High,” she sold that thing exactly as guest mentor Little Steven had instructed: “You’ve gotta act like you don’t care about what anybody thinks.”

Afterward, Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson gave her a (belated) standing ovation. JLo remained seated, but praised her for “really biting into the song.” As for Tyler, he was just happy that she used her “blueness.”

“You just did it and showed me you got that in you,” he added. “Thank you, Lord.”

But the judges were pretty much in an “A-plus!” mood all night long, so none of what they have to say is going to matter. Even when Phillip Phillips sucked all the melody out of “The Letter,” Steven praised him for getting away with doing that all the time. That’s like saying, “You are an awful sketch artist, but congrats for fooling folks into thinking you can draw! That’s awesome.” (Wow, I can’t believe how rapidly my love for Phillip Phillips has waned. Hey, it happens.)

For the “Brit pop” portion of the show, Hollie went with the Leona Lewis hit, “Bleeding Love.” (Which Steven claims he’s never before heard. A diss at Simon Cowell, who discovered Leona? Perhaps. Or he was in a coma when it was on the radio 200 times a day.)

The judges were giddy overall, but Randy put Hollie’s journey on this show into perspective. Noting that they’d watched her grow since getting the boot last season during Hollywood week, he added, “I’ve said this girl’s a fighter. You’ve been the dark horse all season, but I’m telling you something: To me, you’re two for two tonight. And that was unbelievable.”

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News, reviews, nuggets and tidbits from the world of pop culture, including movies, music, TV, local and national celebrities.